Hope Springs from our Losing Battles

This sermon was heard at the First Presbyterian Church in Marshall, Texas on Sunday April 8, 2012, Easter Sunday.

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Isaiah 25:6-9

Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24

1 Corinthians 15: 1-11

Mark 16:1-8

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you, O Lord, our rock and our redeemer.  Amen.

Our reading this morning is distinct among the gospel accounts of the resurrection. In Mark’s version we hear a most unlikely resurrection story. It’s a resurrection without Jesus. We’re left with an empty tomb, everything is left up in the air. Later editions of Mark’s gospel add stories of Jesus with Mary Magdalene and the apostles. There is another piece that adds a version of the ascension.  But these verses, the verses following the eighth, were added at least 250 years later. This oldest, most reliable version of Mark’s gospel leaves us with an empty tomb, but that is not how it begins.

It begins with Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome with spices, spices they would use for their Lord’s burial. Now, why bring the spices? The spices were to prepare the body and should have been used before Jesus was placed in the tomb. But I ask then, why the spices at all? The purpose of the spices was to preserve the body. The preservation of the body and the aromatic quality of the spices would help keep down the wretched smell of decay. After the three days from Friday to Sunday, a corpse that was not handled properly would begin to stink. We learn this from the death of Lazarus and he was placed in the tomb properly. Even from the sealed tomb, there would be an odor.

Friends, these three women knew they were about to fight a losing battle with the spices. From their combined experience they would have known that when they reached the tomb what they were prepared to do would have been at least ineffective and at worst a waste of time. Still they went, not out of obligation, but out of love.

They also knew that once they reached the tomb, opening it would have been nearly impossible. The stone was probably round like a millstone. To seal the tomb it would have rolled and dropped into a groove carved out for it. It would have been fairly easy to roll in, but very difficult to roll out. They knew, they even said to one another that this was going to be a losing battle. From their combined experience they would have known that when they reached the tomb what they could do would have been at least ineffective and at worst a waste of time. Still they went, not out of obligation, but out of love.

Earlier this week I read a little nugget of wisdom about human endeavor in scripture. This piece of wisdom was that scripture is filled with human failure. It’s kind of demoralizing to say, but it’s true. It doesn’t require a close study to see that people mess things up. Sometimes messes are caused by disobedience. Other times it’s circumstances playing themselves out. This is an example of the latter; there was really nothing these women could do at the tomb. They were on a fool’s errand. But I say again; they went, not out of obligation, but out of love.

When they arrived, they found what they were not expecting. They found the tomb open. They did not find a stench. They found a young man in a white robe and they were alarmed. Friends, we know how this ends so we can smile in the firm and certain knowledge of what has happened; but at this moment these women did not. Being “alarmed” would have been the only responsible reaction to what they found at the tomb.

So the young man cries out “Do not be alarmed!” (Yeah, right, sure…) Then he tells them while they were still alarmed and on their way to being afraid, “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen!”

The Reverend Doctor Michael Jinkins wrote: “Over seventy years ago, a young minister named Karl Barth addressed a group of ministers and told them why people came to church.  His words became a clarion call to his generation and they still echo today.  He said that on any given Sunday morning, when the bells ring calling the people to worship, there is in the air an expectancy that something great, something crucial, something momentous is going to happen.  People, he said, come to church wanting to know the answer to one question above all else: ‘Is it true?’”[i] This ending of Mark’s gospel causes the reader to ask that very question.

Mark’s gospel has none of the meticulous precision of Luke’s. Matthew’s many references to the Jewish Law are missing too. Mark makes us ask questions—and this ending makes us ask the questions, “Is it true? Did Jesus rise from the dead?” Today we testify, “Yes, he is risen.”

This is a bold statement of faith. It doesn’t come to us by scientific method, but that’s not what a faith statement does. Faith is the “firm and certain knowledge of God’s benevolence toward us, founded upon the truth of the freely given promise in Christ, both revealed to our minds and sealed upon our hearts through the Holy Spirit.”[ii]

Our faith is founded on the truth of the freely given promise in Jesus Christ, the Messiah given to us in the word written and proclaimed, the promise that he is with us through the ages. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, God’s own spirit, we are able to interpret the word finding God’s loving kindness toward us as Jesus continually intersects our lives.

Our faith cannot be founded on what we do because to find faith in our failures is futile, and this is the Good News. If our works are in vain then our hope can only come through the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus. This morning we read of three women who approach the Lord with hope, hope that their impending failure will have any effect at all. They go to fight a losing battle, but by showing up, they see that by Christ the battle is won.

Hope springs from their losing battles, hope springs from our losing battles because our failures give God room to work miracles.

Through faith and hope we find the Lord at work in our lives. Through faith and hope we become free to live in the truth of Jesus Christ. Through faith and hope, we can become sure of the meaning of our own existence, our own humanity.  Through faith and hope can we say “He is risen.”

We testify our faith in Jesus as our risen Lord using the words of the Apostle’s Creed. But the creed is not about our faith, it is about the one in whom we have faith. The words describe the triune God as the church understands each of the three persons. The creed reminds us Jesus was crucified, dead, and buried; and on the third day he rose again from the dead.[iii] The words of the ancient church for over 1,800 years, the creed has helped us state what we believe about the triune God.

We bear witness to our confidence in the faith through the sacraments, the outward signs instituted by God to convey inward grace.[iv] One of the marks of the true church is the right administration of the sacraments.[v]

In the waters of our baptism we are born, cleansed, and live. The waters provide refreshment for our bodies and our lives. Baptism initiates us, brings us into the body of Christ. Jesus rose from the waters of the Jordan and when we come from the water we are new in Christ. From the tomb of the waters and from the tomb of the grave, He is risen.

As we journeyed together along the road to Golgotha this week we are fortified with the meal of grain and vine, the bread and the juice. “Through this bread, there comes about what we see in the gospel: a fellowship of pilgrims, a fellowship gathered around the apostles, a fellowship of a meal that includes everyone, a fellowship of one single pilgrim path to God.”[vi] This is the meal we share until Christ comes again in glory.

People of faith and people seeking faith want to know, “Is it true?” Mark leaves the question up in the air. Being told “he is risen,” in the last verse of the gospel, the women who came to prepare Jesus’ body left the tomb terrified and amazed. Barth frames our quest this way: “They reach, not knowing what they do, towards the unprecedented possibility of praying, of reading the bible, of speaking, of hearing and singing of God.”[vii] For us, God is revealed in the person of Jesus Christ. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we are able to answer Barth’s question with hope and confidence.

Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Salome left the tomb afraid to speak to anyone. They were told to spread the news of the empty tomb, Jesus is returning to Galilee. We are called to spread the good news too. Through the hope of God’s loving kindness we can live a life of faith daily. We proclaim, we confess our faith using the words of the creed. Through the sacraments, we participate in the outward signs instituted by God to convey inward grace.

Through the water, the bread, and the wine we share in the elements Jesus used to identify himself with the community. We become the body of Christ as the church, through these elements of thanksgiving. Through the word, faith, hope, and the sacraments we answer the question. This is how we show the world what we believe. We do this not out of obligation, but out of love. This is how we say, “Yes, it is true. He is risen. He is risen, indeed.”

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[i] Jinkins, Rev. Dr. Michael. Transformational Ministry, Church Leadership and the Way of the Cross.  Edinburgh: Saint Andrew Press, 2002, page 33.

[ii] Calvin, John. Institutes of the Christian Religion, McNeill, John T. Ed., Volume III, Chapter 2, Section vii.

[iii] PC(USA) Book of Confessions, 2.2

[iv] Augustine

[v] PC(USA), 3.18, 5.134

[vi] Rahner, Karl, in Eucharist, A Source Book, Liturgy Training Publications, 1999, Chicago, page 19

[vii] Ibid. Jinkins

The Ultimate April Fools Prank

This sermon was heard at the First Presbyterian Church in Marshall, Texas on Sunday April 1, 2012, the 6th Sunday in Lent, Palm Sunday.

Sorry, no podcast this week due to recording failure.

Isaiah 50:4-9a

Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29

Philippians 2:5-11

Mark 11:1-11, 15:1-41

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you, O Lord, our rock and our redeemer.  Amen

In 1992 the morning team at Denver’s NewsRadio 850 KOA reported that former Oakland Raiders quarterback Ken Stabler had signed on with the Denver Broncos. In a live interview with the Colorado Morning News team on the Denver Bronco Radio Network flagship station, Stabler said how excited he was to come out of retirement and play for such a storied organization as the Denver Broncos.

I heard this announcement and interview live on the air while driving to work in Lamar, over 200 miles from Denver. From that distance I could hear the Bronco faithful from all over the Rocky Mountain region go completely insane. In a time before cell phones were handy and affordable, the 850KOA switchboard lit up with a white hot passion.

I remember this from twenty years ago because I can remember what kind of stupid move I thought this was. Stabler had retired seven years earlier after a final stint with the Saints. He retired because his knees were French, wheat, rye, and Melba—they were toast. On top of that, Stabler was hated not just in Denver, but all over the AFC West because of his propensity to win games late. Bronco quarterback John Elway may have been the Comeback Kid, but the Snake did it first. Thus, Kenny Stabler was absolutely, bile splittingly hated in Denver. I thought to have him, his reputation, his years of rust, and his lousy knees suddenly on the Denver bench would be a recipe for disaster.

For you Dallas Cowboy fans, it would be like the ‘Boys bringing former Washington Redskins QB Mark Rypien in 2010 while Tony Romo was the undisputed king of Cowboy Stadium. Actually, bringing Doug Williams in 2000 to play opposite Troy Aikman would be a better example for many Cowboy fans.

I don’t have any idea who would fill in these blanks for Saints fans.

Then it dawned on me. You see, it wasn’t “nearly” twenty years ago, and it wasn’t “almost” twenty years ago, it was exactly twenty years ago. It was twenty years ago to the day making this in my opinion one of the best April Fools pranks ever. As the network flagship station KOA had impeccable credibility. Stabler cooperating with the prank and doing the call-in interview was spot-on. The whole thing was done so incredibly well that the city of Denver and Bronco faithful within earshot fell for it.

The response was huge during the days of “dime-a-minute” long distance. Imagine how it would have blown up in this time of free long distance, sports blogs, smart phones, twitter, facebook, and other social media. This could have easily gone from drowning the KOA switchboard to crashing their website and the Bronco site too. As pranks go, it was just that good.

I’m happy to say I figured out it was a prank before I got to work, but they had me hooked long enough to formulate the “what a stupid move” response I just shared with you. If I had a smart phone I might have pulled over to send a text and join the fools. It was a great joke.

On this April Fools Day, this Palm Sunday, this is what I want us to think about, Jesus pulling the ultimate April Fools prank on creation. He rode in like a king, but he wasn’t the king the people thought he was. The king they thought he would be would be the one who would free them from the tyranny of Rome. Instead, Jesus frees us from the slavery of sin and death.

Mark describes a scene fit for a king. Jesus sends his disciples into town to get a colt that has never been ridden. The word used in the Greek version of Mark’s gospel describes any young animal used for riding or burden. It could have been an ass or a burro or a donkey or a horse. It’s also traditional to translate this word “colt” because of the “never been ridden” qualifier. The word means an animal that is old enough to be useful in the city and fields, but for whatever reason, this one had never been ridden.

Yet, this colt that had never been ridden might have been a young steed whose rider of worth had not yet been found. Albeit young, this could have been a horse of majesty Jesus rides in on. If not, maybe the people saw such majesty in Jesus that the colt took on a grander presence. Especially a mount covered in cloaks.

The point I’m making is that Mark’s gospel could be showing us a majestic charger, the kind of horse that would be ridden by a general or king entering battle. It isn’t the same humble donkey and her colt we read about in Matthew’s or John’s gospels. This year, Mark’s gospel describes the possibility of a grander beast bringing Jesus into Jerusalem.

So as Jesus prepares to mount this colt, not only did the apostles put their cloaks on the mount, but many revelers have put their cloaks down over Jesus’ path.  This act invokes a royal welcome reserved for the coming triumphant Kings of Israel.

Scripture mentions this in 2Kings 9. In this chapter, Jehu is made King of Israel. In verse 13 the people put their cloaks under his bare feet after he tells them he was anointed king. Jehu and his fellow officers then go to Jezreel to face Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah. Jehu eventually kills these kings and Jezebel. His triumphant entry is complete.

As Jesus rides into Jerusalem, many knew what this act proclaimed in Roman controlled Palestine. They were remembering the story of Jehu when they placed their cloaks before Jesus. They knew that they were proclaiming a military and political messiah who would save them from their plight with their Roman overlords.

Of course I’m sure there were others were simply too wrapped up in the revelry of the Passover to notice the signs. They showed up because everybody loves a parade. I am convinced that where ever you go, some folks just show up for the show; first century lookie-loo’s if you will.

We know what happens next, the crowds begin to sing out:

“Hosanna!”

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!”

“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

Then he entered Jerusalem and he went to the temple. He looked at everything, but seeing it was already late, they went to Bethany.

I love this phrase, “it was already late.” The New Living Translation gets a little more specific, it says “he left because it was late in the afternoon.” This was probably accurate too, but I prefer the simple phrase “it was already late.”

To say “it was late in the afternoon” is to talk about appointments and who is in town and who is not. It talks about Jerusalem and about the time of day. It’s true as far as facts go, but I believe there is a truth that goes beyond the facts when Jesus says “it was already late.”

To declare it was already late puts an urgency and intentionality into Jesus’ acts which a time of day cannot convey. When Jesus says it’s late, he’s saying that there is still much to do to prepare his disciples for the events of the week to come.

In our reading from John last week we established that all of the dominoes had fallen into place. All was ready for the end of this part of Jesus’ ministry, but with the end coming there was a sense of urgency. There was still much to do and Jesus had much to teach.

This teaching included what it meant to be the Messiah. This teaching meant what it means to live in the coming kingdom of our father David. It meant that it was time to leave the childish ways of human enterprise behind and open themselves to the most holy of holies.

It meant what Paul wrote to the Philippians about being in the same mind as the Christ Jesus. It means emptying themselves as Jesus emptied himself of Godly form, honor and privilege. It meant taking on the nature of a servant. It meant humbling themselves, even to the ultimate price for the holiest name of all names. It means the same to us too.

It means we are not to revel in what we think we deserve. We are not to flex the muscle of Christ so that we may gain. It is to empty ourselves of what we think is important so that we can seek, discover, and do what the Lord thinks is important to do.

How’s that for an April Fools joke? The people in this passage celebrate the triumphant entry of a political and military Messiah who is not The Messiah. The people see a warrior, but not God Incarnate; a king, but not the Lord who is prophet, priest, and king.

On top of that, it’s an April Fools joke on us today. We aren’t important because of what we think is important. We aren’t important because of folks who hold us in esteem because of our jobs or houses or cars. Some might even fear us because of who we are and what we can do. What creation thinks is important usually is not. Our importance is in our relationship with our heavenly Father.

We’ll see just how far this prank goes as Jesus the Christ goes to dinner on Maundy Thursday, the cross on Good Friday, and remains in the tomb on Holy Saturday. Then we’ll see what happens on Easter Sunday. We’ll watch as Jesus says “April Fools” to the world.